Slainte, Holyoke
Ingredients:
1 cup Guinness
1 cup butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. Irish whiskey
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 tsp. Irish cream liqueur
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Grease 2 cake pans. Bring Guinness and 1 cup butter to a boil in a saucepan and set aside until butter has melted, stirring occasionally. Mix in cocoa powder until smooth.
Whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a bowl until thoroughly combined.
Beat eggs with sour cream in a large bowl with an electric mixer on low until well combined. Slowly beat in the beer mixture, then the flour mixture; beat until the batter is smooth.
Divide batter between the prepared cake pans.
Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of cakes comes out clean, about 17 minutes.
Cool the cakes completely
Bring cream to a simmer in a saucepan over low heat; stir in bittersweet chocolate until melted.
Mix in 2 tablespoons butter and Irish whiskey until butter is melted; let mixture cool to room temperature. Filling will thicken as it cools.
Spread the filling over just the top of one of the cakes. Place the second cake neatly over the first.
For frosting, whip 1/2 cup butter in a bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
Set mixer to low speed and slowly beat in confectioners’ sugar, 1 cup at a time, until frosting is smooth and spreadable. Beat in the Irish cream liqueur; adjust thickness of frosting with more confectioners’ sugar if needed.
Pipe frosting over the top of the cake